Preie we. GOD 87 bi seint nicholas. OD, that with unnoumbrable myraclis hast maad fair 7 seynt nicholas the blessid bishop, we preien thee graunte to us that thourz hise preieris and hise deseruyngis we be delyuerid fro the brynnyngis of helle. Bi crist. Ant. Margareta. Margaret was of fiftene yeer whan she was put in prisoun thurz the wickide kyng olibrius.88 Vers. Grace is held out in thi lippis. Resp. Therfore god blessid thee into withouten ende. OD, that madist blessid margarete vyrgyne to GOD come to heuenes, bi the victorie of martirdom: graunte thou, we preien thee, that we folowynge the ensaumple of her moun deserue to neize nyz to thee. Bi crist. Ant. virgo sancta. Seynt Kateryne virgyn the schynynge gemme of grece, was the dougtir of king costy of the citee of alisaundre. Vers. Preie for us blessid katerine. Resp. That we be maad worthi to the bifore biheestis 89 of crist. Preie we. GOD bi seint kateryne. OD, that hast 3ouen the lawe of moyses in the histhe of the mounte of synai, and in the same place bi thin hooli aungels, the bodi of seynt kateryne virgyne and martir merueilousli thou hast gederide to 87" Decorasti." Haste glorifyed. Edit. 1538. &c. * I need only refer here and for the next, S. Katherine, to the VOL. II. D Golden Legend, and the Festival, where the particulars are given, and at great length. 89" Promissionibus Christi." gidre, graunte us, we preien thee, that thurz hir deseruyngis and hir mediacie we be worthi to come to the hil that is crist.91 Bi the same crist oure lord. So be it. Ant. Corpora sanctorum. The bodies of halowis 92 ben biried in pees, and the names of hem shulen lyue withouten ende. Vers. Blessid be thei that dwellen in thi hous, lord. Preie we. LORD, haue merci on us thi seruauntis, we preien thee, thours the gloriouse ioies of halowis, whose bodies ethir relikis ben conteyned in al hooli chirche for more information, it will be advisable that he should consult the authorities from whence they are taken. 90“ And whan she was byheded there yssued out of her body mylke in stede of blode, and aungells toke the body and bare it unto the mount of Sinay more than .xx. journeys from thens, and buryed it there honourably." provehi," to which the printed Golden Legend. Fol. ccc.xxxviij.b. The history continues, that men not being able to discover what had become of the body made "grete sorow and lamentacyon :" until it was made known through an angel to some hermits dwelling in the desert near Mount Sinai. "Her fleshe was dryed up for length of tyme, but the bones were compacte and pure." And after the usual style of these legends, many miracles are said to have been wrought. I have given these extracts for the understanding of the text, which has reference to them and if the reader wishes 91❝nos ad arcem virtutum books add," ubi visionis tuæ claritatem mereamur intueri." "where we may deserue to beholde the clerenes of thy face." 92"Corpora sanctorum in pace sepulta sunt." The later editions usually have this heading "Of the Sayntes, whose relykes remayne in the holy churche." 1538. &c. 93 By? 9 Or: "And he seith to hem, is it leffel to do wel in the Sabotis either yvele? to make a soul saaf either to leese?" Wiclif. Mark. c. 1. (Richardson.) bi her glorious merit, and thours her deuout preier be we euermore defendid fro al yuel. Bi crist. Ant.95 letabuntur. Seyntis shulen make myrthe in glorie and thei shal glade in there couchis. Vers. Meruelous is god in hise halewis. LORD, we preien thee meekli to biholde oure in firmite, and alle the yuelis whiche we han iustli deserued putte thou awei thurz the preier of thi blessid modir and of alle seyntis, that we may haue thourz oure lord iesu crist ioie withouten ende. Bi the same crist oure lord. So be it. Ant. Da pacem. Lord 3yue pees in oure daies, for ther 95 This is different throughout, Anthem, Response, and Prayer, from the later Horæ, and printed Prymers. I give the office in English, from the edition of 1538, with which agrees, generally, the Cambridge MS. Of all Sayntes. The Antheme. All ye blessyd sayntes and elect seruauntes of god, haue vs in remembraunce before god that thoroughe helpe of youre prayers, we may deserue to be assocyate with you. The versycle. Rejoice in the lorde, you that be iustyfyed. The answere. And all you that in herte be rectyfyed. Let us praye. We beseche the good lorde, that thou beynge pleased with the prayers of all thyne holy sayntes, wylte bothe graunt vs pardon of oure defautes, and gyue vs also perpetuall remedye for them. By Chryst our lorde. So be it. 96 Compare the much better prayer in our present Litany. "We humbly beseech thee, O Father, mercifully to look upon our infirmities; and for the glory of thy Name turn from us all those evils that we most righteously have deserved." &c. 97 Here agrees again the Prymer of 1545, leaving out (as before) the verse and response. is noon othir that shal fyzte for us, but thou lord oure god.98 Vers. Lord, pees be maad in thi vertu. Resp. And plenteousnesse in thi toures.99 Preie we. Go 1 IOD,1 of whom ben hooli desiris, rizt councels and iust werkis: 3yue to thi seruauntis pees that the world may not 3eue, that in oure hertis 3ouun to thi commaundementis, and the drede of enemyes putt awei, oure tymes be pesible thurz thi defendyng. Bi oure lord iesu crist, thi sone, that with thee lyueth and regneth in the unite of the hooli goost god, bi alle worldis of worldis. So be it. 2 98 Compare our present Morning, and Evening Prayer. "Priest. Give peace in our time, O Lord. "Answer. Because there is none other that fighteth for us, but only thou, O God." 99 Et abundantia in turribus tuis." 1 This Collect is now said in our Evening Service. I shall give the Latin from the Horæ of 1507. "Deus a quo sancta desideria, recta consilia, et justa sunt opera : da servis tuis illam quam mundus dare non potest pacem: ut et corda nostra mandatis tuis dedita : et hostium sublata formidine, tempora sint tua protectione tranquilla. Per Dominum. &c." And an intermediate version from the Prymer of 1538, with which in all, except a word, the King's Prymer agrees. "O God, from whome all holy desyres, all good counselles, and alle iuste workes do procede, gyue vnto thy seruauntes that same peace which the worlde can nat gyue, that our hartes beynge obedyent to thy commaundementes, and the feare of oure enemyes taken awaye, our tyme may be peasyble thorough (by, 1545) thy proteccyon. By Christ our lorde. So be it." 2 These Collects vary very much in number in the different editions of the Hora and Prymer, whether MS. or printed. Often they are more than double in number. Collects or "Orisons" are said also, as the author of The Mirrour writes, "in the ende of eche Blesse we to the lord.3 To God seie we thankyngis. Patris sapientia.* The wisdom of the fadir, goddis sothfastnesse, 5 God man was takun in the morwe tyde, And of his knowen disciplis howre, for the apostels when euer they were to gyder, they kneled downe on theyr knees, and prayed or they departed asonder." He goes on to speak of a custom controverted by some in modern days. “And he that sayth the oryson, stondeth turned to the este. For paradys from whens we ar exyled, ys in the este; and therfore thynkynge what we haue loste, and where we are, and whether we desyre, we pray turned towarde the este." Let us hear him also on the much-vexed question why Collect is so-called. "Yt is as moche as to saye a gatherynge togyther, for before thys prayer ye dresse you to god, and gather you in onhed to pray in the person of holy chirche, that ye sholde be the soner harde.- Ye ende all youre orysons by oure lorde Iesu cryste, and in hys blyssed name, by cause he sayde in his gospel, that what euer ye aske the father in my name, he shall gyue yt you." fol. lxxij. et seq. 3 From hence to the prayer "Domine Jesu" omitted in the King's Prymer, and instead we find: "A praier of the passion. Christus passus est. “Christ suffered for vs, leuing vs example that we shulde folow his steppes, who dyd no synne, neither was there any guile found in his mouth. "The versicle. We worship the Christ with praise and benediction. "Answere. For thou hast redemed the worlde from endles affliction." The Office in the Text, after the thanksgiving, is in fact, the Matins of the Cross: "ad matutinas de Cruce." 4 "Patris sapientia veritas divina, Deus homo captus est hora matu tina: A notis discipulis cito derelictus, A Judæis venditus, traditus, afflictus." The English version of the later Prymers, is : "He that is the greate profounde sapyence, And dyuyne truthe of the father on hye: Whiche for mankynde of his beneuolence, |